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I had some network issues with XBMCLive 10.1 and my Asus AT5IONT-I motherboard. I kept getting intermittent network connectivity. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it refused to work. After doing a few days of digging I came across a post that solved my problem.

Ubuntu incorrectly identifies the 8168B. It loads a Realtek 8169 driver.

This is a re-post from another forum, special thanks to user sandrogalli over on the Ubuntu forums. This information was a Godsend.

This is how I rectified the issue.

1. Check the model number of your ethernet controller:
$ lspci | grep Realtek
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller (rev 03)


2. Check the driver your kernel is loading:
$ lsmod | grep r816*
r8169 91629 0
As you can see we have a r8169 driver for a r8168 chipset which is the cause of our issues.


3. Download the 8168 linux drivers from the Realtek website. Make sure you get the correct driver for your setup.


4. cd to Download directory and extract:
$ tar -xvf r8168-8.018.00.tar.bz2


5. Run script as superuser to autocompile driver:
Code:
$ cd r8168-8.018.00
$ sudo ./autorun.sh


6. [Optional] Test driver
Code:
$ sudo rmmod r8169
$ sudo modprobe r8168
$ sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
Your network should be up and running with the new driver. To make the change permanent.


7. Blacklist r8169.
$ sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
Append the following lines:
Code:
# Blacklist Realtek RTL8111/8169 gigabit driver
blacklist r8169
Save and quit.


8. Update driver cache.
Code:
$ update-initramfs -u
REBOOT and see if the correct driver has loaded:

$ lsmod | grep r816*
r8168 91629 0

Hmmm. I have an ASROCK E350M1 with the same Realtek RTL8111/8168B, but rev6 instead of rev3 as yours. I haven't notice any problems with the 8169 driver, it works like charm. So, probably the revision number counts.

peterk2005 Wrote:Hmmm. I have an ASROCK E350M1 with the same Realtek RTL8111/8168B, but rev6 instead of rev3 as yours. I haven't notice any problems with the 8169 driver, it works like charm. So, probably the revision number counts.

Good to know. I struggled with nailing down the issue for a few days because the problem was intermittent. I noticed that the xbmclive installation kept kicking an error on DHCP setup when I was trying a re-install. That's what tipped me off.

Dude, you saved me hours!

Worked like a charm!

Many thanks!